An American Story!

What is the American story? Stories where the impossible become possible, the improbable are probable and the ironic become iconic! That is the American story. The story where dreams come true. Where nightmares can turn into enlightened realities.

That is what we witnessed this week, when the world looked on as we elected a President for the people, by the people who also happened to be an African American. Who would've thought it!

But we did it, all of us. Well not quite all but a huge majority said we were ready for a change. That the status quo was no longer acceptable and that our past does not have to equal our future. Doesn't that feel great!

If this was only the story of one man who came from humble beginnings and went on to become elected the President of the United States, it would be motivating and inspiring. However that is not the only story to be told here. No, that's not the main story.

What makes this story so extraordinary and unique is that this man was born to a white woman from Kansas and a Kenyan father. Yes, this man who has achieved so much and inspired millions of Americans and those from around, is a product of a country who has a history of slavery, injustice, and discrimination against a segment of its citizens.

The country that embraced policies such as "separate but equal", Jim Crow and constitutional enslavement and whose racial ideologies created a civil war, civil rights movement and racial riots.

But only in American can this story be told. Can this story reach such a dramatic turning point in our history. After hundreds of years of stereotypes, ignorance and fear that we as a collective voice insist that our country turn the page and travel a new path.

We are sure to continue to fight for inequalities and injustices toward our citizens, whether for women, Hispanics or the gay and lesbian community as well as racial issues as it pertains to African Americans, but we must all agree that the country moved a huge step forward on that historic night on November 4, 2008. Congratulations America, you did good!

Check out "An American Story"


An American Story from Gail on Vimeo.

Get commemorative T-shirts and buttons from this historical election.

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Start the Party Early and Pull In Every Vote!

Here is an excerpt from an email article I received from "The Color of Change.org". Some great suggestions. I'm sure you can come up with even more. Be creative, use your imagination and have some fun. Let's "spread the wealth around".

With all the energy and excitement about Obama and this election, the reality is that some folks will have to wait in line before voting. But there's no reason for it to be a downer. With your help, we can turn it into a party!

Why a party? So many people showing up and voting for change is a reason to celebrate. And, of course, we need everyone to stick it out and vote.

Here's the idea: If we can make the lines at polling places fun and entertaining, more folks will stay in line and vote. It's easy: after you vote (or while you're waiting), you can bring food, water, and entertainment for your neighbors who have a long wait. Just a few words of kindness and encouragement could mean the difference between a vote being cast or thrown away.

To learn more and sign up, click below:
http://colorofchange.org/party08/?id=1783-681299

How to Start a Party at the Polls

You can do this while you're waiting in line yourself, you can come back after you've voted, or you can go to other polling places in your area where you hear there are long lines. Here are some ways you can make the wait easier and more fun for voters:

Bring water, food, snacks. A lot of people might not have realized how long they'd have to wait. A little food and water can help give people the energy they need to power through. Cook something the night before, buy some bottled water to share. Healthy snacks are good, but you can also use the opportunity to get rid of extra Halloween candy.

Bring some folding chairs. Some people may need a break from standing; you can give them somewhere to sit.

Rain? Bring umbrellas, ponchos, plastic bags. Help people stay dry.

Tell jokes, juggle, provide some other kind of entertainment. Are you a comedian, dancer, or street performer of some kind? Put on a show! Make sure it's family-friendly.
Play some music or bring a boombox. Play an instrument? Bring it to the polls and play some songs. Bring a boombox. Take requests. Avoid music that might be offensive or abrasive to some people. Keep in mind that not everyone may like your music, so pay attention to how people are reacting; you don't want to drive anyone away.

Be prepared to cover up campaign t-shirts, buttons, etc. Some places have rules against campaigning within 100 feet of the polls. Wearing a t-shirt or button can be considered a form of campaigning, so if you're wearing gear from a particular candidate, be prepared to cover it up or change into different clothes if someone asks you to.

Above all, have fun, and spread it around. Help everyone out, not just people supporting your candidate. This is about making sure everyone has the right to vote. Voters disagree on many issues, but we should all be able to agree that participation in our democracy is an exciting thing.

Help bring a festive spirit to the polling place.

Please let us know what you plan on doing, and read our tips for making sure we do this in a responsible and inclusive way. It just takes a minute:
http://colorofchange.org/party08/?id=1783-681299

Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team November 3rd, 2008

7 Ways to Steal Back Your Vote!

7 Easy Steps To Steal Back Your Vote

From Greg Palast's and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s investigative comic Steal Back Your Vote!

Copy it, print it out, spread it everywhere - and download the complete 24-page comic for free at www.StealBackYourVote.org. Hope isn't enough. Rove-proof your ballot.

And get a stack of print copies before we run out. Hand'm out on the voting line - non-partisan, so it's OK. We'll send them out via priority mail in time for the election. (Donate $100 and get a free copy of The Election Files DVD)

1. Don’t don’t don’t Mail In Your Ballot—unless...

For those of you who mailed in your ballot, please tell me, what happened to it? You don’t know, do you? I can tell you that officially, three-fourths of a million absentee ballots were never counted last time, on the weakest of technical excuses. And you won’t even know it. Furthermore, tens of thousands of ballots are not mailed out to voters in time to return them - in which case you’re out of luck. Most states won’t let you vote in-precinct once you’ve applied to vote absentee. Every time I hear of a voter going “absentee” to avoid computer screens, I want to “go postal” myself.

But for gosh sakes—don’t throw out your ballot if you have a mail-in. Either mail it in, making sure to include ID if required (you first-time voters) or, better, WALK it into your county clerk’s office.

2. Vote Early...very early

Every state now lets voters cast ballots in designated polling stations and at county offices in the weeks before Election Day. Do it. Don’t wait until Election Day to find out you have the wrong ID, your registration’s “inactive,” or you’re on a challenge list. By Election Day, there’s little to do but hold up the line.

3. Register and Register and Register

Think you’re registered to vote? Think again. With all this purg’n going on, you could be x’d out and you won’t know it. Check online with your Secretary of State’s office or call your County Board of Elections. Then register your girlfriend, your wife, your mailman and your mommy. Contact the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the League of Women Voters, and your local party organization, and commit to a couple of days of door-to-door registration, especially in minority neighborhoods or at social service agency offices. And if you’ve served the time, you can sign: in almost every state, ex-cons can vote.

4. Vote Unconditionally, Not Provisionally

In 2008, they’ll be handing out provisional ballots like candy, especially to Hispanic voters. If your right to vote is challenged, don’t accept a provisional ballot that will likely not get counted no matter what the sweet little lady at the table tells you. She won’t decide; partisan sharks will. Demand adjudication from poll judges on the spot; demand a call to the supervisor of elections; or return with acceptable ID if possible. And be a champ: defend the rights of others.

If you’ve taken Step 1 above and voted early, you have Election Day free to be a poll watcher. Run into trouble­—you’ve been caged or purged or challenged—call Election Protection at 1-(866) OUR-VOTE. Then challenge the challengers, the weird guys with Blackberrys containing lists of “suspect” voters. Be firm, but no biting.

5. Occupy Ohio, Invade Nevada

The revolution will not be podcast. Let go of that mouse, get out of your PJs and take the resistance door-to-door—to register the vote, to canvass the voters, to get out the vote. Donate time to your union (if you’re not in a union, why not?) or to the troublemakers I’ve already listed here and on our site. This may seem a stupendously unoriginal suggestion, but I know of no other method more effective for confronting the armed and dangerous junta that has seized the White House.

6. Date a Voter

Voting, like bowling and love, should never be done alone. As our sponsor, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, says, make a date to ‘Arrive with Five.’ And keep this comic book in your holster - with our 800 numbers and your photo ID in your hand. And Bobby, make sure your ID says, “Robert Kennedy JUNIOR” or your vote is toast.

7. Make the Democracy Demand: No Vote Left Behind!

I have this crazy fantasy in my head. In it, an election is stolen and the guy who’s wrongly declared the loser stands up in front of the White House and says three magic words: “Count the votes.” You can have all the paper ballots in the world, but if you don’t demand to look at them, publicly, in a recount, you might as well mark them with invisible ink. Democracy requires vigilance The Day After. That’s when you check in at www.stealbackyourvote.org one more time.

*********************

Nation Institute fellow Greg Palast and election law expert Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are authors of an investigation of vote suppression in Rolling Stone.

Go to www.StealBackYourVote.org to download the guide for free or pick up print copies of the investigative comic book by Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Every donation you make for copies of the comic allows us to send more out to low income groups in states like Ohio, New Mexico and Colorado. Get the guide now - all copies will be sent out via priority mail. If your group would like to distribute the Steal Back Your Vote guide please contact keri (at) gregpalast.com for special rates.

After you've picked up the comic book get the t-shirt. Wear it into the polling place and tell them that they can't steal your vote! Support the fund by picking up the Steal Back Your Vote t-shirt by the cool people over at Clothing for the American Mind. A portion of every purchase goes to support the Palast Investigative Fund.

Steal Back Your Vote!

Believe it or not, your vote has been stolen! Yep, that's right, it's been stolen. How? you ask, by whom? you ask. Well take a look at the information from an investigation done all year by Robert F Kennedy, Jr and Greg Palast, from the BBC.







So what are you going to do to steal back your vote. Get the right information, take a stand, and make sure your voice is heard and your vote is counted. It is your right, don't take it for granted!

Download your copy NOW!

Enough! Day of National Support

Enough! That is the battlecry of this year's election. Americans have had enough of deceit, secrecy, financial and economic crisis, war and the overall failed policies of the last 8 years. We have had it and are ready for a change.

In an effort to share our outcry and to let the nation know where we stand, we are calling for a National Day of Support. We are rallying our supporters together to turn our country Blue.

To symbolize that support, you can purchase the Enough t-shirt to wear on October 29th the day Senator Barack Obama addresses the nation in a 30 minute televised event. Let's show our country that we have had ENOUGH and are ready to take back our country.

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This is Why We Will Win!

What Do You Really Know About Sarah Palin?

What are Their Policies?

Do you really know where the candidates stand on the issues that are important to you?
Will the election less than 50 days away, do you know who most supports your needs?

It is time you get back to basics and pay attention. You will need to decide and work your
way through all the crap. The deceptive, negative, and dishonest ads and rhetoric and
find out who is really planning to change things in your life and for the country.

Here is a look a where the candidates are on some of the real issues we face.

Who Stole My Money?

You hear all this stuff about McCain will continue the Bush Tax cuts for the supper rich, or that Obama is going to raise everyone's taxes. Who's telling the truth. Check out this illustration and figure our who is going to be best for you.



There you have it! Now, go register to VOTE!

It' the "Issues" Stupid!

This is my rallying cry for all Americans. Can people for once put the blinders on, and think about what they have personally experience during the past 8 years. What types of conversation do you and your family have? Do you discuss the economy and $4.00 gal gas. How difficult it is to feed your family with skyrocketing food, energy and regular day to day basics? When was the last time you took a real good look at the equity in your home? Where you planning on using that equity to send your kids to college?

These and more such as environment, health care, national security and foreign policy are all on our minds. So every 4 years we have an opportunity to make a difference in this country with our voice and our vote. This becomes our chance to say which leader of the free world we are trusting to do what is best in his or best estimation for our country and in some cases the world!

This is a unique year, for the first time in history we are paying attention unlike we never have before. There have been more registered voters than in any other time before. People watched the conventions by the millions. The crowds come out, the bloggers are posting, the pundits and analysis are going crazy. Everyone is totally focused!

But the question is 'on what?! First there was the contentious battle in the Demoncratic Primaries, which when the dust settled left a number of people, especially women, upset. They wanted their shot at history and thought for the first time, they would break that "glass ceiling".
Tempers flared, insults flew but at the end of the day, though there were 18 million cracks made it wasn't broken as women had hoped. However, history was still made. No we didn't get the first women, however the historical event occurred when an African American man did break through. He didn't crack the 'glass ceiling' he broke through chains and barriers, that no one had ever imagined would happen in our lifetime, though it was often 'dreamed'.

We had extremely gifted and qualified opponents for the primary race, in fact the only difference between them was the added experience for Hillary, but there was the vision of Obama. Otherwise these two candidates shared the same ideology and philosophy on what issues where important to the citizens of this country and how to achieve the goal. After some time had passed and during the Democratic convention though many were still licking their wounds and preferred to hold on to t heir disappointment, by and large they were united. Every recognized that there was more at stake than just 2 candidates. Great! the party was healing and we were ready to get down to the task at hand.

Then came the next big wave, The Republican Party feeling lackluster and out of touch, oftentmes complaining of not getting as much attention decided at the last moment to make a grand stand gamble and out comes the now infamous Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as John McCain running mate. The country has gone from stunned, to shock, to overwhelm to elation and in some cases panic.

The media and the bloggers are all buzzing about Sarah Palin. People are talking about how much like them she is. How much integrity she has, how she stood up to her own party and cleaned house in Alaska. They have gone on and on about this person. That would not be totally a bad thing with one exception, NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT HER!

All of these conclusion were based on 1 introduction speech and then 1 acceptance speech. People are amazing to me. Each of the speeches were written by speech writers, delivered by her and she has never used anything else. Not to mention the republiican party did not property vet her, she has no foreign policy experience, she has been a Governor for less than 2 years, and she has no domestic policy. But everyone loves Sarah and she can do no wrong. In fact she is so pure that she is not allowed to speak to the media or to the public until 'she is comfortable". She does ot have to stand up to the same scrutiny that alll the other candidates have had to face for these pass almost 2 years and in some cases for many years. Why not? I'm not sure understand. No no one in the media is really pressing the issue. Somehow they have made it okay.

Everything that is known is either what she says or what people have made up. In the meantime, there have been no issues talked about by either she or John McCain.



"Enough is Enough"

So I ask you at the end of the day, if the economy, education, health care, foreign policy and the like are at the forefront of your minds or if you feel the economiy is in bad shape, or that our country is headed in the wrong direction, why are we spending so much time talking about "lipstick"? We have talked about "Bridges to Nowhere", ebay planes, hockey moms, moose hunting, etc... but when do we talk about the ISSUES!

Is this what it all boils down to? I thought we all wanted change, but we are talking like this is az reality TV show. And I guess in some cases that is how the media, and the public is treating it.

I have seen more divisiveness, racism, sexism, culturalism, elitism than anytime in my entire life. All these ills are alive and well in America. It is amazing to me how someone can say "yes, I am hurting because I loss my job, and I've lost my home. I don't know how I'm going to feed my family. Im sick and I don't have health care and I have no way to retire and still and then say, but I can't vote for a Black man". Or talking about pitbulls and pigs. Or he is too old, or she is so beautiful. We have real 'ISSUES" people! When are we going to pay attention. Time is running out.

You owe it to yourself and to your future and that of your children to stop dealing in small, trivial political tactics of innuendo, misrepresentations, and outright lies'. When someone makes a statement, don't just sit there and listen to what someone is feeding you, check it out for yourself. Stop allowing the media, the tabloids and the talking heads to decide what is best for you. You decide. And when making that decision, do it based on what 'ISSUES" are important to you, not whether someone looks like you. Determine if the candidate's agenda coincides with yours. Take responsibility for your decision and stop being manipulated by the politics. At the end of the day you will be the only one in the voting booth and we all will have to live with your decision.

Sorry Rick Davis, "It's the ISSUES" Stupid; not the personality! Get out and VOTE!

Keeping the Focus!

Wow, it has been one heck of a week. During the past 2 weeks, we've had absolute euphoria after the Democratic convention. We were left with hope, possibilities and optimism. Then the uproar began. From the introduction of a Vice Presidential nominee for the Republicans who came from nowhere, with no experience and no background to the negative cynical and misleading speeches at the Republican Convention and then the snow queen from Alaska cries victim at every turn while spewing venom at everyone.

From the hypocrisy, to the secrecy, to the questionable actions, this has been a whirlwind. Everybody's talking about it. There is anger, frustration, fear, doubt, doom and gloom. Rascism, sexist remarks, blame and outrage. Man, that's a lot for a 2 weeks period. So much for bringing together the country.

So what I've figured out is this. After watching the reaction of the Obama campaign and with my own inner knowledge of how things work I've decided to do something and I hope others will join me.

I realize the more you focus on something the more you bring it into your life. You attract what is most on your mind especially if there is a lot of emotion behind it.

Therefore do not put any more energy and emotion behind the lies, hypcrisy and all around negative campaining the Repubs are doing. Don't allow the scandals surrounding Gov Palin and the flip flopping of Sr. McCain be the focal point of your attention. That is what they want. They want everyone talking and focusing on them. And the more we do that with intensity the more we will help to bring them into office. Because we would have taken our mind off the goal.

Keep your attention on what you do want. For BarackObama and Joe Biden to win the White House and for us to take back our country and begin to heal from the same policies that have gotten us to this point.

Keep your energy level high and hopeful as you did during the Democratic Convention. Volunteer, donate, get involved, have a party and talk about the issues and the possibilities and what you will continue to do once they are in the White House to stay involved in your community and to be a part of the solution.

Watch the clips from the Democratic convention again, and again. Keep your eyes on the prize, and keep your energy stream in a positive flow. Then know without a shadow of a doubt that it is done.

That's how we win!

Gail